The 10 Spot: Pitching performances

It’s been the year of the home run in the Big Ten, but that shouldn’t outshine the stellar pitching performances the conference has seen thus far. This week’s 10 Spot takes a look at the best of the best gems, shutouts and pitching-powered upsets from Big Ten teams to date.

Indiana’s one-run effort against Oregon State to start the season

Indiana’s offense was completely stymied in a 1-0, season-opening loss to Oregon State, but Jonathan Stiever and Pauly Milto were almost equally as nasty for the Hoosiers. Stiever threw 5.2 innings, allowing three hits and one earned run, while Milto threw the final 2.1 innings, allowing only one hit and no earned runs.

Pavlopoulos, Kinker knock off Oregon State

Oregon State is the overwhelming #1 team in the country this season, with only one blemish on its record thus far. That blemish came at the hands of Ohio State and Yianni Pavlopoulos. Pavlopoulos, the Buckeye closer in 2016, threw the first six innings in only his second career start. He allowed only three hits and shut out the Beavers. Seth Kinker threw the final three innings, giving up two hits and one earned run, and the Buckeyes won, 6-1.

Andrews dominant in Cape Girardeau

Purdue’s turnaround campaign has been one of the leading headlines so far the 2017 season. In the season’s third weekend, a serious at Southeast Missouri State gave early notice to Purdue’s changed fortunes. Leading the Boilermakers to a 4-0 win, junior right-handed pitcher Tanner Andrews pitched a four-hit shutout, striking out eight batters without issuing a walk, en route to his second Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honor in just three weeks.

Oliver Jaskie deals in LA

Jaskie, pitching against UCLA and potential first round pick Griffin Canning, during the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic, looked like he belonged in a big league stadium. In his six innings of shutout work, Jaskie only allowed three hits while striking out six Bruins. Tommy Henry relieved Jaskie in the seventh and gave up only one unearned run, but that was ultimately enough for Canning, who went eight innings allowing three hits and zero earned runs while striking out 12 in UCLA’s 1-0 victory. Jaskie proved, however, that the Big Ten elite could compete with the rest of the country.

Wolverines stay hot in SoCal

Michigan continued it’s run of stellar pitching against Pac-12 teams in a contest at USC the next day. Ryan Nutof started the game on the mound for Michigan, and the Wolverines got everything they could have asked out of him. Nutof threw 6.1 innings, allowing only three hits, one earned run, and struck out eight Trojans. The bullpen combined for the final 2.2 innings, allowing only one hit in Michigan’s 4-1 win on the road against the most storied program in the country.

Taylor Bloom leads dominating win over #6 NC State

Maryland has put together a quality season to this point, finding itself in the discussion to reach the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years. Leading the Terrapin’s postseason résumé may be against #6 North Carolina State in early March. Junior right-handed pitcher Taylore Bloom was a big reason for that, throwing seven innings of five-hit ball, allowing the only two runs of the game for the Wolfpack in a 9-2 Terrapin win.

Nebraska blanks Arizona

Jake Meyers has put together a really good season already for the Huskers, but his performance against Arizona may be his best. Meyers went five shutout innings allowing only six hits and striking out four on his way to the win. Chad Luensmann earned the rare four-inning save, allowing only two hits over those four innings. Nebraska scored one run in the first inning, and held on to beat the Wildcats, 1-0. It was Arizona’s first loss of the season.

Alex Troop duels at South Carolina

Michigan State sophomore left-handed Alex Troop matched up against potential first rounder Clarke Schmidt and the No. 10 South Carolina Gamecocks in a top-tier pitching duel much like Jaskie-Canning. Troop went eight innings against the Gamecocks high-powered bats, allowing only three hits and two earned runs. Troop, a two-way player, hit a home run the next day against South Carolina, making what he did both on the mound and at the plate even more impressive.

Ty Weber quiets the defending national champs

Coastal Carolina lost quite a few players to the draft after last season’s national championship run, but there was plenty of meat left on the bone when Weber and the Fighting Illini traveled to Conway, South Carolina to take on the Chanticleers. Weber went 7.2 innings, allowing only 1 hit and 1 earned run, striking out six hitters. If it weren’t for his high pitch count (105 pitches), Weber might have sealed the win. However, Ryan Schmitt gave up two solo home runs in the bottom of the ninth and the Chanticleers walked off with a 3-2 win.

Meyers curtails Catamounts

When a pitcher has a 2.25 ERA over seven starts it’s likely they have had a few quality starts, and that’s certainly the case for Meyers. Building off of his effort against the Wildcats in the Frisco College Baseball Classic, Meyers twirled a five-hit shutout against Western Carolina the following weekend. In striking out five batters while only issuing one walk, Meyers added to a scoreless innings streak which ultimately ended two weeks later at 25.2 innings.